Spinning funnel



Aug. 1964 J. c. BINFORD SPINNING FUNNEL Filed May 18, 1962 United States Patent 3,143,845 SPINNING FUNNEL Jack C. Binford, Shelby, N.C., assignor, by mesne assignments, to FMC Corporation, San Jose, Calif., a corporation of Delaware Filed May 18, 1962, Ser. No. 195,826 2 Claims. (Cl. 5776) This invention relates to funnels and particularly to a funnel for use in a rayon spinning machine wherein the newly manufactured yarn is guided by the funnel into a rapidly rotating box or bucket for collection in the form of a cake.

A rayon spinning funnel is generally arranged vertically in a traverse mechanism which moves the same up and down as the yarn passes therethrough so that the yarn is distributed evenly within the spinning box into which the lower end of the funnel extends. For various reasons, particularly because of the acids used in the manufacture of rayon, spinning funnels have generally been formed of glass, and breakage of the funnels has been a noticeable item of expense. The causes of funnel breakage are numerous, and need not be gone into in detail. Suffice to say one of the causes of broken funnels is that the yarn sometimes becomes tangled about the lower end of the funnel so that the lower end becomes jammed in the lid of the spinning box during the rising of the traverse mechanism and since the glass funnel is the weakest link in the chain, so to speak, it breaks.

There have been a number of proposals for forming a spinning funnel of a plurality of segments so that when the funnel breaks it is only necessary to replace some of the segments rather than the entire funnel. So far as is known, however, all of these proposals have contemplated that the various segments of the funnel be rigidly and firmly secured together so that there is no possibility of the segments coming apart in the absence of an actual breakage of one or more of such segments.

The expense involved when a funnel breaks is not only the replacement of the funnel but is magnified by the fact that the broken glass ruins a good bit of the yarn previously collected in the rapidly rotating box, and the glass fragments cause an unbalanced condition within the box which may cause the box to explode or damage the bearings which rotatably support the same. Sometimes the broken glass cuts the box itself rendering it unfit for further use.

It is a primary object of the present invention to provide a spinning funnel formed of a plurality of parts so associated with one another that they will separate readily without breaking upon the malfunctioning of the yarn collecting apparatus, so that a portion of the funnel may continue to move up and down with the traverse mechanism while another portion thereof becomes stuck in the spinning box and rotates therewith.

Toward the attainment of the above object, the invention provides a funnel having a novel association of parts as will become apparent as the description of certain preferred embodiments thereof proceeds.

Referring now to the drawing:

FIG. 1 is a vertical sectional view showing the novel funnel associated with a spinning machine;

FIG. 2 is an exploded view of one embodiment of the funnel in vertical section; and

FIG. 3 is an exploded view in vertical section of another embodiment of the funnel.

In FIG. 1, an arm of the usual traverse mechanism of a rayon spinning machine is indicated at It) and a spinning funnel made in accordance with the present invention is indicated generally at 11. A bushing 12 threaded internally and externally has a flange 13 which rests around an opening in arm and a nut 14 threaded onto "ice the bushing bears against the bottom surface of arm 10 to hold the bushing in place. An externally threaded sleeve 15 having an upper flange 16 is screwed into bushing 12 and a portion of tunnel 11 slidingly fits within said sleeve. By shifting bushing 12 within the opening of arm 10, the funnel can be properly centered with respect to spinning box 17 into which the lower end of the funnel extends and by means of the threaded connection between sleeve 15 and bushing 12, the height of flange 16 may be adjusted so as to position the lower end of the funnel the desired distance above the bottom spinning box 17.

According to the present invention, the funnel, best shown in FIG. 2, comprises a top portion or member 18 having a cylindrical outer surface which fits slidably within sleeve 15 and a shoulder 19 which rests upon flange 16 of the sleeve. Member 18 has a funnel-shaped mouth 29 which leads into a cylindrical bore 21 which bore is concentric with the longitudinal center line of the member and leads into a relatively large diameter bore 22 which is also concentric with the longitudinal axis of said member. Preferably, member 18 is formed of a relatively nonbreakable material such as plastic or metal.

The funnel also includes a lower tubular member 23 having an internal bore 24 of substantially the same diameter as bore 21. In that form of the invention shown in FIG. 2, the upper end of tubular member 23 has a reduced outside diameter as indicated at 25 and a circumferential groove 26 is located between the reduced diameter portion of the tube and the larger diameter of the main body of the tube. Preferably, member 23 is formed of glass.

For holding the two main members of the funnel together, resilient means in the form of a rubber O-ring 27 is provided. In assembling the funnel, O-n'ng 27 is slipped about the reduced upper end of tubular member 23 until it contracts into the groove 26. Tube 23 with the encircling O-ring 27 is then slipped into the bore 22 until the O-ring moves into an internal groove 28 in the bore 22 at which point the upper end of the tube rests against an annular shoulder 29 separating the large bore 22 from the smaller bore 21, this assembled relationship of the parts being shown in FIG. 1.

The outer diameter of the main body of tube 23 is only very slightly less than the diameter of bore 22 or member 18 so that said tube will fit slidingly within said bore. The fit of the tube within the bore 22 must be held to rather close tolerance because it is desirable, as will presently be explained, for a relatively light pull to separate members 18 and 23 and yet at the same time it is undesirable to have any appreciable relative movement between members 18 and 23 during the normal spinning operation.

In that form of the invention shown in FIG. 3, the upper portion or member of the funnel is indicated at 39 and the lower tubular member at 31. In this form of the invention, tubular member 31 has the same external diameter throughout its length and is provided with an annular groove 32 for receiving a rubber O-ring 33. The lower end of a large diameter axial bore 34 of member 30 is flared outwardly somewhat as indicated at 35, and an annular groove 36 is located between the main cylin drical portion of bore 34 and the flared end 35. The funnel may be assembled by inserting the O-ring through the flared end of bore 34 until it slips within groove 36, after which tubular member 31 is inserted until the upper end thereof contacts a shoulder 37 which is located between large diameter bore 34 and a bore 38 of substantially the same diameter as the bore of the tubular member, at which point O-ring 33 engages the groove 32 of the tubular member to thereby releasably hold the parts in assembled relation. As with that embodiment shown in FIG. 2, the top member is preferably formed of plastic or metal and the tubular member of glass.

While the bores of the tubular members 23 and 31 are shown as having plain cylindrical surfaces, it is contemplated that such members may be provided with spaced, hardened inserts or other restrictions as is common practice with spinning funnels so that yarn passing therethrough will rub only against the inserts rather than the entire internal surface of the'tube.

As will be understood, the funnel is located at the collection end of a spinning machine and the newly spun yarn passes through the funnel and is discharged against the inside surface of the rotating box 17. As shown in FIG. 1, the funnel extends into the box through an openmg 39 located centrally of a lid or top 49. As previously mentioned, the funnel is moved up and down by traverse arm 10 so that the yarn issuing from the bottom of the funnel will be distributed evenly within the box. For various reasons, it occasionally happens that the yarn will lasso that lower end of the funnel tube and when this happens, the yarn proceeds with dispatch to build a ball around the lower end of the funnel and when the ball becomes large enough, -it will be caught within the opening 39 of the box lid during upward movement of the funnel. When this happens with the normal spinning funnel, the funnel usually breaks but with the funnel of the present invention, the upper member separates from the glasstubular portion and as the upper portion continues to move up and down with the traverse mechanism, the glass tube, held by the ball which has built up around its lower end, begins to rotate with the box.

contacts the projecting glass tube one of two things is apt to happen. In some instances the tube may be broken and in other instances the top will be pushed upwardly through the sleeve 15 with which it is slidingly'engaged j r not get into the box.

During subsequent downward movement of the funnel top, if the top Having thus described certain preferred embodiments of the invention, what is claimed is:

1. A rayon spinning funnel comprising a top portion adapted to be engaged with the traverse mechanism of a spinning machine, a bottom tubular portion adapted to extend into a spinning box, said tubular portion being considerably longer than said top portion, and resilient means releasably connecting the tubular portion of the funnel to the top portion, saidmeans being so constructed and arranged that a pull exerted longitudinally of the funnel will separate the top and bottom portions thereof.

2. For usewith a rayon spinning machine or the like having a vertically reciprocating traverse mechanism and a spinning box located beneath the traverse mechanism; an improved spinning funnel comprising a top member adapted to be engaged with the traverse mechanism, said top member being entirely outside the confines of the spinning box when engaged with the traverse mechanism, an elongated tubular member extending from said top member and having an end which is located within the spinning box when said top member is engaged with the traverse mechanism, and readily releasing means connecting said tubular member with said top member, said means being constructed and arranged to permit easy separation of said members solely upon application of a pulling force longitudinally of said tubular member whereby breakage usually caused by a stuck funnel is avoided.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,990,556 MacArthur Feb. 12, 1935 2,052,731 Taylor Sept. 1, 1936 2,425,182 French Aug. 5, 1947 2,592,562 Haley Apr. 15, 1952 2,812,958 Rogers Nov. 12, 1957 FOREIGN PATENTS 126,263 Great Britain May 8, 1919 

1. A RAYON SPINNING FUNNEL COMPRISING A TOP PORTION ADAPTED TO BE ENGAGED WITH THE TRAVERSE MECHANISM OF A SPINNING MACHINE, A BOTTOM TUBULAR PORTION ADAPTED TO EXTEND INTO A SPINNING BOX, SAID TUBULAR PORTION BEING CONSIDERABLY LONGER THAN SAID TOP PORTION, AND RESILIENT MEANS RELEASABLY CONNECTING THE TUBULAR PORTION OF THE FUNNEL TO THE TOP PORTION, SAID MEANS BEING SO CONSTRUCTED AND ARRANGED THAT A PULL EXERTED LONGITUDINALLY OF THE FUNNEL WILL SEPARATE THE TOP AND BOTTOM PORTIONS THEREOF. 